Chivalry is Dead
by Sakura Neko-Chan 13
Summary: Once again, the Xiaolin Dragons are racing to find the latest Shen Gong Wu before Wuya and her companion Jack Spicer. But this time, it is sealed inside a teenage girl- and it can only be brought back with a kiss...


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Xiaolin Showdown belongs to... I don't know who it belongs to. Not me. The original story idea comes from wanderingmind911… the only thing that is mine is Morgan.**

**FULL SUMMARY**

**Once again, the Xiaolin Dragons are racing to find the latest Shen Gong Wu before Wuya and her companion Jack Spicer. But while Master Fung assures them this Wu is of the utmost importance, he also tells them that it won't be easy to get. It is sealed inside a teenage girl, and getting it out again will be more than either side bargained for… rated T for some pretty blunt sexual/drug references (no one is doing drugs, I promise) and occasional language.**

**Saku-Chan: I'll be honest. While I did ask permission from wanderingmind to remake her story Chivalry is Dead, I never got an answer… So I decided to do it anyway. Very bad of me, I know. Oh well. What was originally written as a comedy will now be a drama!**

**Um pardon me if scenery descriptions are off, I don't own the DVDs so it is difficult for me to look at the exact details.**

**Oh, and Morgan's name… guess who I got her name from? Hehe. The character's last name should help- but I'm not saying how!**

**Chapter One**

**Neo-Princess**

To the unadjusted eye, the room looked infinite in the darkness. The only sign that there was anything to see was the moon painted on the ceiling, glowing in the residual light.

The ceiling held a host of celestial bodies. Constellations of stars, both real and imaginary, traversed by a fiery comet. The walls depicted a dark forest, and a clearing filled with wolves.

The floor was a black carpet, which gave way almost seamlessly to the matching furniture pieces- a mahogany bed, a black leather couch, a small desk. The dark red curtains were the only things that stood out in the room.

The girl who entered hardly noticed- though she often paused to admire the art of the room, and to think of the months of work put into it.

Morgan Fayer was exhausted. It had been a long night. After school, she had been at rehearsal for the school play. Most of her time was spent learning new routines, and going through the dance for her song backstage. She had convinced Brian to help her practice- certain parts of the dance were hard to do by one's self.

_Mungojerie and Rumpleteazer, we're a notorious couple of cats…_

Of course, all of the trickier moves came during the dance break. It made Morgan's joints ache just to think about it.

She opened up the red curtains, allowing real moonlight to shine in, along with the lamplight of the city streets.

After that, a few of her friends had convinced her to go shopping. She had mostly stood by and watched as they ogled various designer brands, since she didn't think it was worthwhile to wear something so impractical- what if you got paint on it? And while some of the designs were interesting, everything was far too expensive.

Now, she lazily ran a brush through her black hair, obsidian eyes drooping under their own weight, pale face wrinkled with exhaustion. A quick glance at the clock- 12:53.

Once she finished, she climbed into bed. She didn't even have the energy to change clothes. As it was, Morgan was asleep within a few minutes.

A dark form obstructed the light coming through the window. Almost silently, it lifted an object just above the lock and cut a small hole in the glass. There was a slight whir of machinery before the lock came undone and the window opened.

The boy who entered was in his late teens, clothed in a flowing black outfit with goggles strapped over the red hair above his pale face. His unnatural red eyes caught the light, giving him the look of a wild animal in the dark. A wisp of purple followed.

"Drug the girl, Jack," it whispered.

Jack simply nodded, walked over to the bed, and opened a vial under Morgan's nose. Her breathing slowed slightly, but there seemed to be no other effect.

"Are you sure that will keep her asleep?"

"Do you think I would have brought it if I wasn't sure, Wuya?"

"But how do you _know_?"

"I tested it, okay? Now can we _please _just get on with this?"

Instead of waiting for an answer, Jack walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer- and quickly shut it again.

"Okay, looking around randomly is _so_ not a good idea. So what's the Wu, anyway? Maybe if I knew what I was looking for…"

"The Werepaw Pendant gives the power to change into any animal's shape."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Nice. I still don't know what it looks like."

Wuya sighed in exasperation. "It's a small pendant that looks like a cross between a human hand and a tiger's paw."

Jack drifted toward a silver jewelry box and started rifling through the contents. "How small are we talking about? The Xiaolin losers could be here any minute."

"About the size of the last digit of your pinky."

Jack stopped and raked his hand over his face in frustration. "That small? It could be anywhere in this room, if it's here at all. And the Xiaolin monks will get here soon and we'll have to fight over a Wu we can't even find…"

As Jack ranted in as low a voice as he could manage, Wuya spotted the bed and started drifting towards it. "Jack…"

"… and I bet you anything that dragon of theirs knows where it is already. And if it isn't here at all…"

"Jack!" Wuya hissed, trying to not wake the shadowed figure (who knew which of Jack's inventions would work).

"What?" Jack stopped moving, his hand still in the jewelry box.

"I found it."

"Where?" Jack hurried over, and followed Wuya's line of sight. "Um… under the pillow?"

"No, you idiot! The girl!"

Jack looked at the unconscious girl with dismay. "You gotta be kidding me. A Wu can't be a girl. Wu are weird-looking objects. Besides, I thought you said it was a pendent."

"It was, but a lot can change in 1,500 years. It's the girl now."

"Um, maybe she's wearing it."

Wuya growled. "No, Jack, _it's the girl_!"

Jack sighed. "Well, that's just great. Now what?"

"We take her with us, obviously.

"Whoa, whoa. That's kidnapping." Jack took a step back, arms out front as if he were ready to ward of a monster in a movie.

"You're supposed to be an _evil_ boy 'genius'"

Jack straightened indignantly. "I _am_ an evil genius!"

"Then don't be so squeamish! We can't allow the Xiaolin Dragons to have her while we figure out what's going on!"

"Alright, alright…We're gonna have to think fast though, the drugs will only keep her out for so long."

With a snap, Jack summoned one of his robots into the room. After a quick bit of reprogramming, he gingerly lifted the girl and set her in the machine's arms.

* * *

"Dojo, do you know where you're going? We've been looking all over for this thing." Rai tried to unobtrusively rub his backside- he wasn't used to riding a dragon for this long.

"Yeah, Dojo. We checked the school, the mall… this is like hunting a one-wing flying goose."

"Clay, is it just me or are your similes getting worse?"

"When did you learn a word like simile, Kimiko?" Rai cracked up at his own insult, but was quickly shut up by Kimiko's fist.

"Stop! We must not fight! If we do not focus, Wuya and Jack Spicer will find the Shen Gong Wu before us!"

"Calm down, Omi. Anyway, Dojo, I thought you said it was in Europe." Kimiko tried to find a more comfortable position while the dragon answered.

Dojo sighed. "The problem is that the Wu is on the move- I've been following its trail all morning. Once we catch up to it we can get it. The fact that it hasn't dropped off my radar means the Heylin Warriors don't have it yet. As for why it's in America… I just don't know"

The warriors settled into an uncomfortable silence. Several minutes later, they arrived at a New York apartment.

Kimiko slid onto the windowsill to check the latch. "Someone drilled a hole in the window, and it's unlocked. This doesn't look too good."

She opened the window and allowed the rest of the warriors to follow her in. They listened a moment, to see if anyone was in, but the house seemed empty.

Dojo shrank and entered. "Dang it! It's not here anymore, and I can't sense where it is…"

"Then Jack got here before us."

"No, it's still active… I don't get it. This is weird, we need to bring this to Master Fung."

Omi sighed. "I hope he is not angry with us for leaving. After all, he did tell us to stay in the temple."

* * *

Master Fung was waiting for them when they got back to the Temple.

"I told you to remain at the temple while I was gone."

"But Master Fung, a Shen Gong Wu revealed itself! We couldn't sit by why Spicer and Wuya got it!" exclaimed Rai.

"Did you bring it back with you?

Dojo, once again, shrunk down to a more accommodating size. "There's a problem. The Werepaw Pendant has been moving around, it's on the wrong continent and who knows what else!"

"The Werepaw Pendant?" Master Fung abruptly turned to face the door of the temple. "Follow me."

Dojo leaped onto Clay's shoulder, watching the Master's hurried pace.  
I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You and me both, Dojo" Clay whispered.

Master Fung stopped in the scroll room, leaning over the scroll's blue center. "The Werepaw Pendant is a very special case. It was buried on the island that is now England."

"I know that already. I buried it."

Master Fung shot Dojo a reprimanding glance. "A noble family found the pendant by chance, and gave it to the princess as her 16th birthday present."

As he spoke, the scroll changed to show a figure kneeling, giving a pendant to another. The second figure took it and quickly put it on.

"Ew, who'd want to wear that? It looks like a disfigured hand." Kimiko was watching the second figure critically. "No fashion sense."

"Whatever. Anyway, so we know why it's not where Dojo left it. That still doesn't help, anyone could have it now." Rai lounged against a pillar, gesturing briefly before refolding his arms.

"One moment, Raimundo. Let me continue. A few months later, the people of the kingdom rebelled and overthrew the royal family. One of the nobles who participated in the rebellion tried to take the pendant, and the princess swallowed it whole."

Kimiko watched the scroll with a sad expression. "What did they do to her?"

"Nothing. She escaped. She was the only member of the family that survived."

The scroll had been showing the scenes as Master Fung described them, and ended with a lone figure running from a burning castle.

"Well, that's a mighty fine story Master Fung." Clay tilted his hat back so that it didn't cover his eyes. "But what happened to the Wu? It obviously didn't get destroyed."

"Thank you, Clay. In order to protect itself, the Shen Gong Wu changed into pure energy and mingled with her blood, passing itself down to every firstborn female in her line."

"You mean the Wu is _inside_ somebody? No wonder it's not where I left it! Why wasn't I told any of this?" Dojo looked positively indignant, upset at being left out of the loop.

"And how do we get it back?"

"I'm afraid it won't be easy, Kimiko. And it may take a while to explain…

* * *

Jack spun his chair away from the glowing computer screen. "Alright, I found it. All hail the wonders of the internet!"

"Stop gloating and tell me what you found!"

"You're the one who believed it wouldn't work, Wuya… Anyway, here goes. The Wu was given to a princess in England. She was pretty weird for the time; she was into demented stories and wild animals and such. Pretty psycho; if she weren't a princess she might have been burned as a witch."

Wuya rolled her eyes, her words dripping with sarcasm. "How very eloquent."

"Don't interrupt. Anyway, she really loved the Pendant, since it looked like a freaky mix between a human hand and a paw. She started wearing it all the time. Then her family was forced off the throne, and she swallowed it."

"What?!"

"Yup. Apparently the Wu is some kind of energy now, and it's trapped inside that girl."

"Well, how do we get it out? We don't have time to waste!"

""About that…" Jack looked somewhat disturbed, and cleared his throat before continuing. "I looked up some old legends, since nothing like this has ever happened before. And apparently…"

"What? What! Spit it out, Jack!" Wuya flew anxiously back and forth across the room.

"I'm not sure, but I think I have to kiss her."

Wuya stopped suddenly and stared at Jack. "You must be joking."

"I'm afraid not." Jack turned back to the computer, flipping through several screens until he reached an odd page, with a swirling background and calligraphic writing. "And that's not all. This thing has so many rules, it could be a government. It has to be a kiss given of her own free will, and she can't know about the Wu- I don't quite get that part, something about her knowledge clamping down on the energy and not allowing it out. There has to be real emotion behind it… the list goes on…"

Wuya seemed fairly put out. Her ghostly limbs drooped noticeably. "This isn't going to be easy…"

Jack nodded. "Look, Wuya, this is not worth the trouble. Just let the Xiaolin losers do the work and we'll win it back in a showdown."

Wuya went from worried to furious in seconds- she zoomed right up to Jack's face, fire (literally) blazing in her eyes. "Absolutely not! We will not risk that!"

* * *

"So one of the guys has to _kiss _her?" Kimiko was standing, hands clenched at her sides, breathing heavily as she tried to process the new assignment.

"Kimiko, you already asked that. Five times." Clay looked somewhat awkward, standing in a corner of the scroll room.

"Kimiko, you must calm down."

"I'm trying, Master Fung, but… look, if this Wu is so weird why don't we just let Jack try to get it?"

Rai started laughing crazily. "Good idea, Kimiko! I'll get a camera…" When he looked up, everyone was staring at him. They were not even remotely amused. "Okay, sorry… jeez."

"To answer your question, Kimiko, we cannot afford to let Wuya get her hands on this Shen Gong Wu."

"Master, I do not understand. I know that we want Wuya and Jack Spicer to get as few Shen Gong Wu as possible- but why is this one so important?"

"Omi… do you remember Mala Mala Jong?"

* * *

"Okay, okay, we try for the Wu… any questions, then?" Jack backed away from Wuya, sitting back down.

"When you say there must be real emotion, Jack… surely you don't mean she has to _love_ you?"

"I'm afraid so."

Wuya balled up her ghostly fists, her whole 'body' tensing. "Then this is practically hopeless! All the girls you have interacted with were _robots_!"

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. And that's not strictly true, depending on your definition of interaction. Kimiko's a girl. Anyway, I think I've got this. Since we get the chance to talk to her first, all we have to do is convince her we're the good guys. Anyway, just let me handle this and keep your mouth shut unless you have to say something." With that, Jack walked off to set up his master plan.

* * *

"What does _he_ have to do with this, Master Fung?"

"Mala Mala Jong was the Heylin Wu Warrior. The Werepaw Pendant is part of Jenku Ryo, the Xiaolin Wu Warrior."

Rai's eyes widened. "We get an invincible Warrior too? Master Fung, you should really consider telling us things like this in advance."

"Jenku Ryo is not invincible, Raimundo. But it is very powerful."

Kimiko drew a deep breath before joining the discussion. "So… what other Wu are part of it?"

"Like Mala Mala Jong, Jenku Ryo's form and function depend on which Shen Gong Wu it is made from. The most effective combination includes the Tounge of Saiping, Golden Tiger Claws and Mindreader Conch…"

"We have those. So does that mean we're just about ready to put together this little doggie?"

"Patience Clay. It also uses the Ryo Cloak, Nightshade Boots, Mask of Jinku, Silver Eye and Soul of Jinku."

Clay whistled. "That's an awful lot of Wu we don't have yet, Master Fung."

"Master." Omi interjected. "Why did you not mention Jinku Ryo when we went after the Tiger Claws or Mindreader Conch?"

"They are effective- but not crucial. However, the Werepaw Pendant is part of what makes Jinku Ryo so powerful."

Bored of the technical conversation, Rai decided to change the subject. "So, if this thing's not invincible, what does it do?"

"Jinku Ryo is a singular being- once it is given animation, it can take on a fully life-like form- an effect of the Werepaw Pendant. In effect, it becomes another Xiaolin Warrior."

"That does sound good; we could use some extra help getting Shen Gong Wu."

"Yeah, that's great and all, Kimiko. But I'm waiting for the catch. Lay it on me, Master Fung, I'm ready for the bad news."

"What bad news? Like Mala Mala Jong- or yourself, Raimundo- Jinku Ryo has its vulnerabilities. This does not make the Warrior less effective.

"Okay, okay. So; we have to get this Wu. Step number one- figure out where this girl is. She seems like a normal NYC chick- except for her decorating. But Dojo couldn't sense where she went." Rai was recalling the odd paintings on the bedroom walls- obviously the girl inherited the princess's style.

"Perhaps, young monks, Dojo's senses were interfered with by another force."

"Master Fung, my nose can point me to any active Wu. What could mess with that?"

"If Wuya is near the girl, her presence could possibly obscure the Werepaw Pendant's trace."

"Master Fung, are you suggesting Spicer and Wuya kidnapped the girl?"

"That may well be the case, Clay."

"Well, damn, we gotta get her out fast then! Who knows what Spicer might do to her!"

Kimiko tried not to dwell on the cowboy's warning. Poor girl, stuck with Jack Spicer…

* * *

It wasn't hard for Morgan to tell that she was in the wrong place. Whenever she woke up to something other than her acrylic comet overhead, she wasn't home. And home was where she was supposed to be right now.

The first thing she noticed about the room she was in was that it was cluttered. It looked like she was in some kind of storage room- the room was filled with mechanical odds and ends, and the mattress she was laying on was simply placed on a clear space in the middle of the room.

And it was cushy. Very cushy. But that was beside the point.

She stood up as quickly as she could (discovering in the process that she was rather dizzy), and quickly checked her clothing- it didn't look like it had been messed with, at least. That was a good sign. Next, she checked the door. It was locked of course, but it was worth the effort.

Great. Now what? She had been kidnapped or abducted or something. Would screaming help any?

She was still considering the pros and cons (pro- maybe someone would come help. Con- maybe whoever brought her here would come instead, and that could be hairy) when the door open. She quickly took in the scrawny form before moving into action.

It is a proven fact that the first three seconds are crucial- if they are expecting any resistance, an attacker usually won't expect it so quickly. So, it's important to defend yourself immediately.

The same held true here. The red-haired teen hadn't been prepared, and was quickly sent sprawling by a good kick to the stomach.

Adrenaline can do wonders.

Unfortunately, she had barely moved toward the door when her kidnapper called out "Jackbots!"

What the heck was a Jackbot?

It didn't take Morgan long to figure out what a Jackbot was- a floating machine that didn't look too friendly. She was in big trouble.

Up by the wall, the boy propped himself up. "Restrain only, don't hurt her or I'll dismantle you!"

Within moments, Morgan's arms were pinned behind her back and her legs were held stiffly in place.

"Let me go, you slimy punk, or I swear you will be sorry…"

"I would, but I seem to have an upset stomach…"

Stuck as she was, Morgan now had time to fully analyze her captor. About her height, red hair, white face and eyeliner, red eyes (contacts, surely) and black clothing- Goth?

The Goth boy stood up and put a hand over his stomach. "I'll tell them to let you go, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't continue the Kung Fu. I just came in to make sure you were okay…"

Morgan narrowed her eyes, but kept her mouth shut.

"No dice, huh? Alright, let's give it a shot anyway. Jackbots, release her."

The robots withdrew to the far corners of the room. Morgan tensed, readying herself for anything the strange boy might do, but otherwise made no move.

"I don't suppose you'd let me try to explain any of this to you."

"I don't suppose I have much choice in the matter."

"Actually, you do. I'll leave you alone, if you prefer."

"I'd prefer it if you let me go _home_."

"I would love to, but that's not an option. The Xiaolin Warriors know where you live now, you're not safe there. Anything else?"

Morgan just raised an eyebrow. "The what?"

"Does that mean you want me to explain?"

Morgan kept silent.

"Um… okay. My name's Jack, and the reason you're here is because I found out that the Xiaolin Warriors were after you… I don't know why yet, but I'm working on it. As for what they are… it's kinda a long story."

"Seems like I have nothing but time."

"So pessimistic…"

"I think I have every right to be. All I know is you kidnapped me, and now you're trying to blame it on assassins or something trying to hunt me down."

"They're not assassins… well, if you don't believe that you won't believe any of this. They're after these things called the Shen Gong Wu, mystical power objects that were created several millennia ago. They plan to use the objects for their own profit."

Psychotic much? This Jack guy was either a poor liar or extremely deluded.

"And now you're thinking I'm crazy. But I can show you." Keeping his eyes on Morgan, he left the room.

Stuck God-knows-where with a psychopath. Fantastic. And yesterday, all she had been worried about was whether or not Brain and her would ever be able to complete the windmill without nearly falling over and ruining the next steps.

Before Morgan could go much further with that train of thought, Jack reentered the room, holding an odd green object.

Except he didn't use the door- he came through the wall.

Morgan froze. "I'm drugged. I must be."

Jack dusted himself off, and put the green thing down. "I didn't think of that… what can I do to convince you that you're not?"

Morgan sat down on the mattress and shook her head.

"I understand this is hard to process… if you need anything," Jack snapped his fingers and all but one of the robots left the room. "Just tell him, he'll get it for you." With that, Jack left the room.

* * *

The Xiaolin Monks were quick to move to the meditation room and start preparing, because the knew that the Heylin forces had the head start. They hadn't even discovered the true nature of this Shen Gong Wu until the middle of the day, and Dojo's senses had suggested that the girl had been kidnapped in the middle of the night.

Star Hanabi, Orb of Tornami, Sword of the Storm and Fist of Tebigong.

Rai grinned and twirled the sword experimentally. "Step one, rescue the chick from Jack Spicer. No problem. Then all I gotta do is get her to fall in love with me. Also no problem."

Kimiko grimaced. "Rai, you've got a big head, you know that? What makes you think she'll even like you?"

"Well, if she doesn't we're screwed. Who else would she go for?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rai. Much obliged."

"Sorry, Clay. But I'm not seeing a city girl go for a Texas cowboy."

"Yeah, you're probably right. She's all yours as far as I'm concerned, this seems a bit too manipulative for me anyway."

Kimiko cluched the Star tightly in one fist, the other drawing back as if to punch the smirk off Rai's face. "I hope she hates both of you. Jerks- you make it sound like she's a possession. She's a _girl_."

* * *

Morgan just didn't know what to make of all this. Everything seemed too normal for the drug theory- if he had drugged her with a hallucinogen, she would be seeing all sorts of crazy shit, right? But there was no way this was real.

This Jack person did seem to be honest about not wanting to hurt her. He hadn't even come anywhere near her- but that could easily be a ruse, to get her to put her guard down. But with those robots of his, why would that even be necessary? If he decided he wanted something, she wouldn't have much choice.

So, what could Morgan do from here? It seemed the best course of action could be to play along.

She decided to try the door again, just in case. The fly-through-walls thing was sill sitting on a shelf, but she didn't know how to use it.

Surprisingly, the door opened.

Jack was in the middle of the room, standing by a worktable with a number of disconnected robo-parts. The noise from the welder he was using seemed to cover the sound of the door. The only exit she could see was on the other side of the room.

Okay… now what? She was floundering in uncharted waters- a very uncomfortable feeling.

Then something purple zoomed up.

"Jack! Your 'guest'…" It zoomed back to the boy.

Jack set down his tool, turned around and pulled his goggles up off his eyes. "Uh, hi…"

"Suppose I believe you. Now what?"

Jack grimaced. "To be honest, I don't know. I didn't have a lot of time to plan before I pulled you out, and until I know what they want from you I can't figure out the next step."

"Great. So what do I do in the meantime?"

Jack grimaced. "Here is the safest place I know of. Sorry."

"Just great…" Morgan leaned against the wall. "And what _is_ that purple thing?"

Purple thing zoomed out from behind Jack. "I am Wuya! Evi-"

Jack held up a hand. "Wuya fought the Xiaolin Warriors a millennia and a half ago. She lost, and they sealed her soul in a puzzle box. She no longer has any physical form, but she can sense the Shen Gong Wu. She's kinda my sidekick."

Wuya glared at Jack.

"Um, how old are these Xiaolin guys?"

"Well, the one's I'm up against haven't even hit their twenties. They've been passing down their knowledge of the Wu since Wuya was defeated… and now that the Wu are starting to reveal themselves again, the latest batch of warriors are trying to get them."

"And what are they trying to do with these Wu things?"

"Whatever they can. I already showed you the Serpent's Tail- what could someone do with the power to go through solid objects? If they get them all, they'll practically be invincible."

"And you're trying to stop them?"

"That's right."

"And for some reason, they're after me."

Jack nodded.

"And you don't know why."

Nod.

"This makes no sense. I have nothing to do with this little war of yours."

"I know. That's exactly why I had to get you out. They had no right to drag you into this, but now that they have…"

"How long do I have to stay here?"

Jack shrugged. "Until I figure out what's going on."

Morgan slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, putting her head in her hands. She tried desperately not to let her voice crack- thank goodness for her acting experience.

"What about my parents? They don't know what happened to me…"

Jack strode forward and knelt in front of her. "I'm sorry… there's nothing I can do about that. It's best if they don't know what's going on."

"So these Xiaolin people aren't interested in them?"

Jack shook his head, stood, and offered his hand. "What's your name?"

"Morgan." She allowed Jack to help her to her feet. "Morgan Fayer."

**Dum dum DUM! ****Seems Jack's well on his way to convincing Morgan to give him the Werepaw Pendant, and the Monks are still far behind him. What will she think of them by the time they are able to rescue her? How is Rai going to go about his own attempts to woo her?**

**Thanks to Xero for being my beta. I hope y'all enjoyed it! R'n'R, reviews make me happy, and happy=more chapters.**

**I am, at the moment, using the title of the original- this is subject to change, as that title doesn't fit my version. Just warning you.**


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